Ep 722 (12 Mar 1991)
Synopsis Now that he has been told he can invite Rachel to dinner, Blake wastes no time in finding her to tell her the good news. At first she's pleased, then starts to get cold feet when she starts trying to work out how she can go without her mother and Josh noticing She decides not to take up the offer. Marilyn is back to stressing over her mortgage and bills again. She needs to find someone else to move in. Nick is about to go for a run and invites her to come along with him. It'll take her mind off things. He tells her to go get her runners and he'll wait for her. To the surprise of no-one apart from Nick, we learn that Marilyn doesn't own any runners. She wouldn't be seen dead in such ugly footwear. Meanwhile, Michael has popped in with some rent money for Pippa. She offers him a cup of tea but when she turns on the tap at the sink, she gets soaked with water. There's a washer gone in the tap but there are no spares in the house. The best Michael can do is turn the water off at the mains for the night and repair it the next day. No water means a change of plan.Michael offers to cook a meal for the pair of them in his caravan and to pay for takeaway pizza for the kids back at the house. In Michael's caravan, the pair of them banter playfully while he prepares dinner. That is, until he seizes upon something she has just said and asks when are they going to have a serious talk about "us"? Pippa distracts him by asking if the chicken in the oven is burning (it isn't) but the mood in the caravan has changed. Pippa suddenly looks a bit nervous and a hunted look comes into her eye. Adam thinks he has the answer to how Blake can take Rachel to that dinner. It's something he did when the mother of a girl he was seeing didn't want her going out with him. He got a friend to pick her up from the house, handed her over to Adam and then brought her back at the end of the night. Adam offers to do the same thing here and pretend he's taking Rachel out on a date. Blake isn't sure it'll work but Matt thinks it's a good idea. Plus, Rachel's mother and brother will be pleased that she has a new boyfriend who isn't Blake and might stop trying to lock her up. Pippa is very obviously nervous and chattering away about the food - she is trying to stave off the conversation that's coming down the tracks. Michael asks her if they can stop talking about the food and get serious. He lays his cards on the table and tells Pippa he doesn't want to play games or have meaningless relationships. He says he has known for quite a while how he feels about her and that he's ready for a commitment. Pippa admits she's frightened and that's why she hasn't let him get too close. Michael tells her he's in love with her and wants them to be together. He asks her does she love him? She does and tells him she loves him very much. Relieved that the elephant in the room has been dealt with, they continue their meal. The next morning, Pippa makes her delivery to the diner and tells Ailsa what has been happening. She is a bit confused. One minute she thinks she's hopelessly in love with him, the next she's a blithering wreck. She had only ever been with one man up until now so she doesn't know how to handle it. Ailsa says that if Michael tells her he's in love with her, she should believe him. She is allowed to be happy. Meanwhile, Marilyn is interviewing another prospective tenant. This time it's a lady called Sandra who works shifts at the hospital. She's all set to move in until Marilyn introduces her to Nick. When he says he noticed her car has bald tyres and that her car registration is out of date, she asks him if he's a cop. When he says he is, she can't get out of there fast enough. Or as Marilyn later puts it, she nearly left scorch marks on her carpet. Rachel is happy to go along with Blake's plan so it looks like that meal with Ailsa will go ahead after all. Pippa gets back from the diner. Michael has just finished up repairing her tap. She tells him she has some plans for tonight. It's her time to cook dinner and wants to lay some things on the line. It's not as ominous as it sounds, she playfully assures him but she's still going to keep him in suspense. They arrange to have dinner later. In the meantime, Michael needs to get down to the boatshed and make sure everything is tied down properly. There is a king tide tonight which means that the tide will be rising quite a bit higher than it usually does. He promises her he'll be back at seven o'clock on the dot. Marilyn is furious that she lost out on another tenant because of Nick being a policeman. They have a row and Marilyn says Matt and Adam were right. A cop never goes off duty. Nick decides that the best solution to the problem is for him to move out again. He packs his bags and leaves. Adam collects Beth for their "date". They're about to set off when Josh comes home. He asks some questions and clearly is unconvinced by it all. Still, the next we see of Rachel, she's having dinner with Blake and Ailsa. Ailsa seems to be quite impressed by her. Adam is not very long back in the Surf Club when Josh walks in. He makes a beeline for Adam and demands to know why he isn't at the movies with his sister. Adam makes up a story about them having had a row outside the cinema and that she went on in to watch a film by herself (Arachnophobia - starring Jeff Daniels and some killer spiders). Josh doesn't believe a word of it but Adam isn't too worried. He plans to fill Rachel in on events before he leaves her home. Pippa is dressed up and nearly ready to serve up the meal she has cooked for herself and Michael. She's humming happily to herself. Michael is in good form too. He's whistling as he closes up the boat shed for the night and checks a few last things. One of them is a large boat that's on a ramp outside. Suddenly, the rusty chain that's holding it in place snaps and the boat shoots backwards. Michael gets quite a whack and is knocked backwards. Unconscious, he lies on the ground under the boat. The tide is staring to come in.. *Blake Dean - Les Hill *Marilyn Chambers - Emily Symons *Michael Ross - Dennis Coard *Pippa Fletcher - Debra Lawrance *Adam Cameron - Mat Stevenson *Matt Wilson - Greg Benson *Ailsa Stewart - Judy Nunn Guest Cast * Rachel Webb - Beth Champion * Josh Webb - Erick Mitsak *Nick Parrish - Bruce Roberts *Sandra - Nell Feeney (incorrectly credited as Nell Fenney) - * Writer - Morgan Smith * Director - Michael Sergi * Series Producer - Andrew Howie * Exec Producer - Des Monaghan Prev Ep Ep 721 (11 Mar 1991) Next Ep Ep 723 (13 Mar 1991) Category:1991 episodes.